Vintage Weddings - One Hundred Years of Bridal Fashion & Style

I have to confess I love books and wedding dresses so when this absolutely beautiful book turned up on my desk yesterday I was a little ecstatic. Vintage Weddings - One Hundred Years of Bridal Fashion & Style by Marnie Fogg is, as you guessed it, all about amazing wedding dresses. From the 1900's through till now discover the designes and trends that changed the world of bridal design forever. With foreword by designer extrodinaire Bruce Oldfield OBE it's a absolutley gorgoeus book full of wonderful pictures and information. It even includes a wedding planner and a section on groom's fashion of the time. In perfect time for the Royal wedding! Vintage Weddings is published by Cameron House and is available at all good bookstores from June 2011 for $49.99.



Posted by Emilie Harrison

The Glossy Life

With Christmas fast looming (5 weeks and 2 days to be exact!) it's time to start thinking of neat little gifts for your closest girlfriends. If, like me, they like to read, like to splurge (on important things of course) and need a few survival tips on setting realistic financial goals, overcoming emotional spending, shopping addiction (I tell myself there are worse things you can be addicted to!) and how to save, then Marianne Vicelich's The Glossy Life is just what they need. Chapters such as 'Make your wish and make it come true', 'From Prada to nada: How to cope with poverty', 'Small things make you happy' and 'You Inc' aim to point you in the right direction for achieving your financial dreams. All seems pretty easy to me! The book is available at select bookstores nationally and retails for $34.95. Visit www.booktopia.com.au to purchase online!

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Goodbye Summer, Hello Comfort Food

So, summer is over (insert sad sigh) and autumn has arrived with noticeably cooler mornings. This means one thing, hearty comfort food! I am a soup fiend in the cooler months and yesterday I celebrated the first pot of homemade tomato soup made from the most delicious cherry tomatoes fresh from our veggie garden. My sister Edwina is quite the chef and rich, hearty meals are her speciality. I recently received a copy of the new Country Style cookbook Country Chefs and thought it'd be right up her alley. The book features stories and recipes from Australia's best-loved country chef's including Stefan Manfredi, Stefano de Pieri and South Australia's very own Maggie Beer. If you're planning an autumn or winter wedding this would be a great book to get some menu ideas from. There's nothing quite like sitting down to a hearty meal with family, friends and nice wine. Ahh... one great thing about winter! A couple of recipes that really took my fancy were Stefano Manfredi's Prawn & barley stew, Patrizia Simone's Asparagus & taleggio cannelloni and Annie Smithers Braised lamb shoulder on white bean & tomato stew. Delicious! The cookbook will be on sale in Australia on 29th March for $39.95. Visit www.countrystyle.com.au for release details.



Posted by Emilie Harrison